Flexible safety-guard for street-cars



(No Model.)

E. E. HIGINBOTHAM.

FLEXIBLE SAFETY GUARD FOR STREET CARS. No. 561,397. Patented June 2,1896.;

qjiiiiiiiii ull I we 6: Jay W07 UNITED STATES PATENT CEEIcE.

ELMER E. I-IIGINBOTHAM, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FLEXIBLE SAFETY-GUARD FOR STREET-CARS.-

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 561 ,397, dated June 2,1896.

Application filed July 8, 1895. Serial No. 555,180- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELMER E. HIGINBOTHAM, a resident of Chicago, in thecounty ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Flexible Safet -Guards for Street-Cars, of whichthe following, when taken in connection with the drawings accompanyingand forming a part hereof, is a full and complete specification,sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to understand, make, anduse the same.

The invention relates to guards or pilots placed at the forward end ofstreet-cars or motors-as, say, electric, cable, or steam motorsfor thepurpose of protecting a person or animal from inj ury if struck by suchstreetcar or motor; and the object of the invention is to obtain aflexible guard for street-cars and motors which can be folded againstthe end of the car or motor to which it is attached when such end of thecar or motor is the rear end, and to obtain a flexible guard which willpick up and hold a person or animal standing on the track and run downby the streetcar or motor to which the guard is attached, and withoutinjury to the person or animal; and the invention consists of a basewhich can be secured to the end of a street-car or motor, a foldingframe secured to the firstnamed base, and a netting secured to thefolding frame, such netting being covered with a material-as, say,rubberadapted to prevent injuries or bruises to the person picked up andcarried thereby.

In the drawings referred to, Figure 1 is a side elevation of one end ofa street-car or motor and of a safety-guard embodying my inventionattached thereto, such safety-guard being open and in position to pickup and carry a person or animal in front thereof. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of one end of a car and of the safety-guard, such guard beingfolded against the end of the car; Fig. 3, a front elevation of a carwith the safety-guard attached thereto, such safety-guard being in anoperative position, as in Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a front elevation of aportion of the netting forming a part of the safety-guard, showing theconstruction thereof.

A reference-letter applied to a given part is used to designate suchpart throughout the several figures of the drawings.

A is the outside sill of the car or motor to which the safety-guard isattached.

A is the step to the platform of the car.

13 B are irons having projecting lugs 12 h, aespectively, secured to thesills A A by bolts 13 is a vertical rod or pipe secured in irons B B Bis a shoe secured to the lower end of rod or pipe B and B is a shoesecured to the upper end of such rod or pipe.

D D are rods or bars pivotally secured, respectively, by bolts d dinshoes B E E are rods or bars which are respectively pivotally secured inthe respective shoes B B by bolts 6 6. Shoes B B have lips e e,respectively, which extend along the sides of rods or bars E E asufficient distance to prevent swaying of such rods or bars when in anoperative position.

F F are rods or bars pivotally secured by bolts ff to rods or bars D E,respectively.

G G are rods or bars pivotally secured to rods or bars F F by bolts g g,respectively, and to rods or bars H H by bolts h h, re spectively, andsuch rods or bars H H are pivotally secured at the other ends thereof torods or bars D D, respectively, by bolts h h.

To prevent the swaying of the rods or bars D D, such rods or bars areconnected together by bars cl d 61 V The several rods or bars D D, E E,F F, G

' G, and H H form the framework of my safetyguard, pivotally attached,as described, to the vertical rods or pipes B 13 which form the base ofthe safety-guard. This frame can be folded against the end of the car ormotor, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

To the frame formed by the rods or bars D D, E E, F F, G G, and H Hthere are secured the cords I, I, I and 1 respectively, and the nettingJ. The upper edge of the netting J is secured to "rail K. The rods orbars G H may be omitted from this framework, if desired; but a strongerframework is obtained by their use.

The netting J consists of the chains j j, having thereover the rubbertubes j j, respectively, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

L L are chains or cords extending from shoes 13 13 respectively, to barsor rods D D and secured to such shoes and such rods or bars so as tosupport the rods or bars in a horizontal, or nearly so, position.

When the safety-guard is in an operative. position, the several partsthereof are in substantially the position illustrated in Figs. 1, and 3,and when such safety-guard is not in an operative position the severalparts are in the position illustrated in Fig. 2, or substantially so.

When the safety-guard is in an operative,

position, a person or animalstanding in front of the motor or grip carto which it is attached will be picked up thereby and held thereinwithout suffering bruise or injury.

The rubber covering of the cords or chains of the safety-guard are ofgreat service in the prevention of bruises to the person or animalpicked up thereby.

Having thus described the inventionand its manner of operation, what Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is- 1 1. In a safety-guard for motors and gripcars, a foldingframe consisting of horizontal bars pivotally secured to a base, a barextending between such horizontal bars and pivotally secured thereto, ahorizontal bar pivotally secured at one end thereof to the lastnamed andconnecting bar, and at the other end to a bar parallel with theconnectin g-bar, such parallel-extendin g bar pivotally secured to thelower one of the first-named horizontal bars, with a netting secured tothe frame; substantially as described.

2. In a safety-guard for cars and motors vertical rods forming the baseof the safetyguard, shoes at the end of the vertical rod, rods or barspivotally secured in the shoes, a connecting-rod pivotally secured atits ends to the first-named pivotally-secured rods or bars, rods or barspivotally secured together at one end and to the connecting rod or barand the lower one of the first-named rods or bars, respectively, at theother end, flexible connections secured to the upper ones of the shoesand to the lower ones of the first-named pivotally-secured rods or bars,whereby such rods or bars are maintained in a substantially horizontalposition when the folding frame formed thereby is in an operativeposition, and a netting secured to such frame; substantially asdescribed.

3. In a safety-guard for motors and gripcars a folding frame on eachside of the car consisting of horizontal bars pivotally secured toabase, such base consistin g of a vertical rod or bar attached to theplatform of the car, and abar extending between such horizontal bars andpivotally secured thereto, and a rod connecting the frame on one side ofthe car with the frame on the other side of the ear, with a nettingsecured to the frame; substantially as described.

ELMER E. HIGINBOTHAM.

In presence of CHARLES T. BROWN, FLORENCE McPHAIL.

